MURRIETA: Scout builds trailhead kiosk

The 15-year old Murrieta Valley High School sophomore has
visited the plateau many times over the years, from a third-grade
field trip to visits to camp, hike, or just spend time
outdoors.

"I have always liked the plateau," the Murrieta teen said. "It's
a place where you can really get close to nature. ... I go hike a
little bit. I take pictures. I just enjoy seeing the sights."

When it came time for Colton to tackle a project to earn his
Eagle Scout rank, the longtime Boy Scout knew he wanted to do
something to help improve the plateau, he said.

The Troop 604 Scout met with plateau officials and agreed totake on the task of building a large wooden kiosk for the reserve's
Wiashal
Trail
. The informational kiosk is also known as a trailheadsign that includes information about the trail, such as a map,rules, mileage, special conditions, events and other pertinentdata.

"I chose it because I wanted to do something that would really
benefit the plateau," he said.

To earn money to buy the materials, Colton collected donations
from family and friends.

"It isn't the easiest, fundraising," he said. "My family was
extremely generous in helping out."

Construction on the project took place during various weekends
toward the tail end of summer. It was hard work, with a lot of
hauling wood, hammering, and trips up and down the mountain to
hardware stores, Colton said.

Perhaps the toughest part of the job was not the manual labor,
he said, but coordinating the volunteers, and getting them to work
on the effort.

"I learned that you really have to campaign hard to get people
to help out ," he said. "It's really difficult coordinating because
there is so many different elements. ... That was actually probably
the most difficult part of the project."

In the end, the 8-foot-tall trailhead sign, complete with a
bench and roof, turned out nicely, Colton said.

Colton said he hopes to earn his Eagle Scout rank by the spring,
and plans to study to become a teacher in college.